The Great Beer Flood of 1814 A 15-foot high tsunami of beer swept through the streets

At the time of the great Beer Flood, giant porter vats were a tourist draw at London breweries.

19th-century engraving of the beer flood

“It is thought that one of the most spectacular sights, certainly at the major London porter breweries, was the sheer size of the storage vats, much kudos being attached to the brewer in possession of the largest example,” writes author Ian S. Hornsey in A History of Beer and Brewing.